AWE base has cash for 2,200 new jobs

THOUSANDS of new jobs will be created at the nuclear weapons factory in Aldermaston thanks

to a £1 billion increase in Government cash.

The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) has revealed it will take on 1,200 contractors to put up new buildings at the plant.

Bosses will also recruit 1,000 new scientists and support staff after the base’s budget was doubled to £2 billion over the next three years.

Defence Secretary John Reid last week confirmed the extra money to help maintain the Trident warhead system. Both AWE and the Ministry of Defence have denied the money means the go-ahead has been given to build a new generation of missiles at the site.

They claim the upgrade, including the construction of the giant Orion laser reported in the Evening Post earlier this month, is essential to keep the existing nuclear stockpile safe.

But there is no explanation why 1,000 new jobs are needed if Trident’s successor is not to be built.

“Over 80 per cent of the infrastructure at AWE pre-dates the 1960s and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to sustain,” said AWE spokeswoman Valerie Hinks.

She was unable to explain why 1,000 new jobs would be needed if Trident’s successor was not to

be built.

Ms Hinks said: “People are leaving all the time – it’s ensuring we have the skills base to carry out our mission.

“We are not building a Trident successor and any decision to do so will be a Government decision.

“Ministers have made it clear in published statements no decision has yet been made.”

However, Di Macdonald, who runs the Nuclear Information Service website, is not convinced.

She thinks AWE Management – a consortium including British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) and

aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin – has a vested interest in pushing for the next generation of British nuclear weapons to be built in West Berkshire.

She said: “They are not going to tell the Government, ‘no don’t build them’ – they want the investment and the work.

“But if they are not planning to build the next generation of weapons, why increase the workforce by 25 per cent?”

She also pointed out in 2003 the consortium was given a 25-year contract to continue running the Aldermaston site.

Richard Benyon, Tory MP for Newbury, last night welcomed the plans and hailed the bomb factory as a supporter of the community and a “good employer”.

Mr Benyon said: “I was informed in the summer of the money that’s being put in to AWE to upgrade the work it does on Trident to keep it operational. That’s expensive and I support the Government in the work they’ve done.

“AWE tests nuclear weapons by using a laser and they are expanding that, which will be more beneficial in the area of plasma physics.

“There will be a lot of demand for it and it will confirm the AWE as a centre of scientific and engineering excellence.

“They will also be employing lots more people.”

Mr Benyon believed there were “rogue states” capable of firing nuclear weapons against this country and he didn’t feel the United Kingdom should totally rely on America should an attack occur.

Answering questions in the House of Commons last week, Mr Reid confirmed a decision on the future of Trident would be made during this Parliament.